Save pictures straight to SSD harddrive, which camera supports it?

Joules

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hi Alan, thanks but, really, I just want to just have a huge harddrive for pictures instead of the (seemingly) tiny CF cards. It's time.
It is hard to understand what exactly you want.

You write harddrive, which is a term usually referring to mechanical spinning drives. As you also wrote SSD shortly after in your original post, I guess you only meant to write SSD. No need to add drive to that, the D stands for drive.

Now, SSD also come in two typical form factors. As you mentioned an Atomos, you likely want a 2.5" SSD. The alternative would be M.2, the slim strip type you'll find in modern Notebooks and some PCs.

So what I got from your writing is that you want a suggestion for a stills camera that somehow directly interfaces with a 2.5" SSD? If so, what exactly is the benefit you expect from this?

I am not aware of any such camera. Also, I think it offers no advantage over the current direction stills camera storage is headed in*. CFexpress cards both give you big storage capacity (you can already buy 1TB ones), and have the potential for far greater speeds than you'll achieve over SATA with 2.5" SSDs. So they are better suited for storing large amounts of data, as they also allow you to access and transfer all this data in reasonable times.

So I'm not sure I understand your intentions clearly. Maybe you can elaborate.

*Edit: The current prices for large amount of fast storage are of course quite excessive compared to equivalent PC parts.
 
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thanks for clearing some things. I've been out of the hardware PC market since about 10 years so things aren't clear anymore. I have a fondness for the word harddrive.
So what I got from your writing is that you want a suggestion for a stills camera that somehow directly interfaces with a 2.5" SSD? If so, what exactly is the benefit you expect from this?
Yes. The reason is simplification. I am stressed by how often I need to swap CF cards. And I already have the Atomos Ninja V system... OMG how expensive that CFExpress is! Costs! The more reason to find one camera that supports standard SSDs. I'm refreshing the whole photography/youtube workflow starting this year so I'm again looking into hardware on every level. I don't need exceptional speed, since I rarely do machine-gun shooting. And I don't want to carry adapters. Especially since I have to have one in the travel suitcase and at least another one at home, so adapters mean always two+. Also, I find CF cards too small, I much prefer pieces (like the SSD) about 10cm long and thickish
 
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koenkooi

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Feb 25, 2015
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It is hard to understand what exactly you want.

You write harddrive, which is a term usually referring to mechanical spinning drives. As you also wrote SSD shortly after in your original post, I guess you only meant to write SSD. No need to add drive to that, the D stands for drive.

Now, SSD also come in two typical form factors. As you mentioned an Atomos, you likely want a 2.5" SSD. The alternative would be M.2, the slim strip type you'll find in modern Notebooks and some PCs.

So what I got from your writing is that you want a suggestion for a stills camera that somehow directly interfaces with a 2.5" SSD? If so, what exactly is the benefit you expect from this?

I am not aware of any such camera. Also, I think it offers no advantage over the current direction stills camera storage is headed in*. CFexpress cards both give you big storage capacity (you can already buy 1TB ones), and have the potential for far greater speeds than you'll achieve over SATA with 2.5" SSDs. So they are better suited for storing large amounts of data, as they also allow you to access and transfer all this data in reasonable times.

So I'm not sure I understand your intentions clearly. Maybe you can elaborate.

*Edit: The current prices for large amount of fast storage are of course quite excessive compared to equivalent PC parts.

I think the Sigma FP and Blackmagic Pocket cams allow storing things directly to a drive attached over USB. But for Canon cams, no.
 
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I think the Sigma FP and Blackmagic Pocket cams allow storing things directly to a drive attached over USB. But for Canon cams, no.
thank you. I already thought about Blackmagic Pocket and it seems like it might be the right thing for me, since for exceptional stills I'm quite happy with my 5dM3. Otherwise the Pocket will probably do. I put it on the list. And on trips only take the pocket then.
 
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Mar 25, 2011
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thank you. I already thought about Blackmagic Pocket and it seems like it might be the right thing for me, since for exceptional stills I'm quite happy with my 5dM3. Otherwise the Pocket will probably do. I put it on the list. And on trips only take the pocket then.
Except for black magic, no stills / hybrid camera supports direct save to a external drive (Spinning or SSD, the protocol is the same). The optional wireless grip for the R5 allows for very fast wireless transfer, but I don't know if its possible to use it for immediate transfer, that would take some research. It might transfer to a SSD that has ethernet if such a thing exists in a portable drive.

There have been requests for direct recording for years, it requires a different design in the camera, either hardware or firmware, likely both.

I think that many users would like to have high speed transfer to a external drive.
 
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Jan 29, 2011
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The 1DX, II, III and R5 all allow FTP transfer of RAW files to any drive with FTP access, you need the WFT dongle or battery pack for FTP access (not sure about the 1DX III).

I have used a Western Digital My Passport Wireless that has an FTP mode and sent images direct from a 1DX II to the drive in my backpack, I've also sent images direct to my office NAS via remote internet 'pushing' but you need a connected network to do the latter, for the former it works on AdHoc and you don't need an internet connection.
 
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The 1DX, II, III and R5 all allow FTP transfer of RAW files to any drive with FTP access, you need the WFT dongle or battery pack for FTP access (not sure about the 1DX III).

I have used a Western Digital My Passport Wireless that has an FTP mode and sent images direct from a 1DX II to the drive in my backpack, I've also sent images direct to my office NAS via remote internet 'pushing' but you need a connected network to do the latter, for the former it works on AdHoc and you don't need an internet connection.
Does the R5 let you send images as they are shot over wi-fi? My R won't do that. It also does not do FTP.

I know that images can be sent on the R5 by FTP immediately after shooting them. That's probably the preferred method. I never tried going thru the multi step process to set up FTP for my 5D MK IV.

I do transfer my images directly from my R to my PC, but I must restart the camera and then it saves them except when it doesn't because the Canon Image Transfer program has hung on my computer. FTP should be more reliable. Its ok for jpeg images, but RAW images take too long to transfer over wi-fi. I'm wondering how fast the R5 will transfer them, my wi-fi does about 526 Mbps on 5GHZ, not the fastest, but I have excellent coverage, a very strong signal everywhere.
 
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Does the R5 let you send images as they are shot over wi-fi? My R won't do that. It also does not do FTP.

I know that images can be sent on the R5 by FTP immediately after shooting them. That's probably the preferred method. I never tried going thru the multi step process to set up FTP for my 5D MK IV.

I do transfer my images directly from my R to my PC, but I must restart the camera and then it saves them except when it doesn't because the Canon Image Transfer program has hung on my computer. FTP should be more reliable. Its ok for jpeg images, but RAW images take too long to transfer over wi-fi. I'm wondering how fast the R5 will transfer them, my wi-fi does about 526 Mbps on 5GHZ, not the fastest, but I have excellent coverage, a very strong signal everywhere.
I thought the battery grip/WFT R10A for the R5 enabled that functionality. It’s an expensive way to do it, but I believe possible.
 
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koenkooi

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I thought the battery grip/WFT R10A for the R5 enabled that functionality. It’s an expensive way to do it, but I believe possible.

I think regular FTP works without the grip, the fancier options like SFTP seem to require the grip. I don't have my R5 yet, so take it with a grain of salt.
 
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I think regular FTP works without the grip, the fancier options like SFTP seem to require the grip. I don't have my R5 yet, so take it with a grain of salt.
I think Mt Spokane was saying the FTP settings are limited on the native R5 and appear to be a secondary function possible after shooting. On the 1 series and I presumed the R10A that FTP functionality is switched to real time. Certainly the R10A works very differently, although it takes two batteries one is for the camera and one is for the wireless functions. I have only read the manual for it and have no first hand experience shooting with it, but it seems clunky, the 1 series perform FTP transfers as you shoot automatically in real time, I presumed this was some of the functionality you get with the $1,000 R10A!
 
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koenkooi

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Feb 25, 2015
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I think Mt Spokane was saying the FTP settings are limited on the native R5 and appear to be a secondary function possible after shooting. On the 1 series and I presumed the R10A that FTP functionality is switched to real time. Certainly the R10A works very differently, although it takes two batteries one is for the camera and one is for the wireless functions. I have only read the manual for it and have no first hand experience shooting with it, but it seems clunky, the 1 series perform FTP transfers as you shoot automatically in real time, I presumed this was some of the functionality you get with the $1,000 R10A!

The R10 manual is overly verbose in some parts and completely lacks other parts (e.g. SFTP). I'll have to read it again and compare it with the R5 manual before I make more statements :)
 
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The R10 manual is overly verbose in some parts and completely lacks other parts (e.g. SFTP). I'll have to read it again and compare it with the R5 manual before I make more statements :)
You definitely have a more technical background than me so whatever you find I’d trust your knowledge over mine. My only personal experience of FTP is working with the 1Ds III and 1DX II and they both sent files in real time.
 
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